


Dazzling

by MermaidPrincess (SariWrites)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Aged Up, Childhood Friends, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gen, Post-Series, Romance, Slow Burn, im so sorry omg, kaiba is an awkward dork and it's hilarious, like when you said your FRIEND was in america, mokuba plays an excellent wingbrother, we didnt really believe you holy shiznits, yugi and friends surprised when kaiba had an actual friend all along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 16:37:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7395214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SariWrites/pseuds/MermaidPrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You met the heir to the Kaiba Company at a party, but your childhood antics are brief. After finishing school in America, you return to Japan for a surprise 19th birthday party. But what other surprises await you while Mokuba pulls at his hair over his brother's continued "avoidance." </p><p>And why can't you get your hormonal dreams under control when it comes to your friend??</p><p>(Will be gradually updated with the remaining chaps, I started this Dec2015 just... keep up with the author's notes pls @A@ have patience)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

You were dazzled by all the lights sparkling high above you. All around, people swayed gracefully to the music, twinkling their on their own between bright jewelry and smiles. Slowly you twirled amongst the crowd, occasionally eyeing your gown as the skirts swirled and made the beading catch the light. The night was purely mesmerizing.

 

Through a gap you caught sight of your older sister, Helena, waving to you. Stopping, though still swaying, you eyed her before going to her. With a smile, she gently tugged different parts of the gown she created back into place around you and straightened your hair. 

 

“Daddy has someone for us to meet,” she said as she took your small hand in her gloved ones.

 

You stared up at her through your bangs with the usual admiration. She was wearing a lovely gown that modestly clung to her dark skin, her hair pulled up and decorated with pearl beading that flashed in the light. The oldest of your siblings at 19, Helena seemed to be the incarnation of creativity to you. For hours you’d sit and look through sketchbook after sketchbook of all the clothes she dreamt of creating. And being the first 10 year old to wear her precious designs made you feel so special. And pretty. Surely you were the prettiest girl there after your big sister. Then again, there were very few kids at all.

 

Your father and mother appeared in the crowd, chatting with another couple. Your brother, Derrick, stood to the side of your mother, a tall 16 year old who looked so uncomfortable in his tux. He spotted your sister first, discreetly waving her forward. Your father was the second to notice, his chest puffing out with pride as he held an arm out.

 

“And these, sir, are my darling daughters.”

 

The older couple focused their attention to you two. “Well, you certainly have a lovely family. I’m glad you brought them.”

 

“Goodness, your dresses are lovely,” chirped the woman.

 

You thought your father would burst. “They are, aren’t they? My oldest daughter here made them herself from scratch! Says she wants to be a fashion designer.”

 

The woman gave a pleased smile as she looked over you two again. You tried to resist hiding, wanting to show off your sister’s hard work. You stood even straighter as Helena squeezed your hand. But the woman’s next words were cut off by her husband.

 

“Ah! Gozaburo! Please, I’d like you to meet the employee I was telling you about!”

 

You glanced to see your father stiffen, your mother’s arm tightening in the crook of his. You looked back out into the crowd to see a large man with larger eyebrows and grayish black hair. Behind him followed a couple of boys, one very young but the older one seemed close to your age. You eyed his brown hair and bright blue eyes that seemed a little… Sad?

 

“Kendrickson,” the large man greeted your father’s boss in a reserved manner. “This is the man that transferred from America?”

 

“Yes! Daniel, this is Kaiba Gozaburo. He owns the Weapons Manufacturing company we’ve been building for. Gozaburo, sir, this is Daniel and Melody Simmons. He’s been a driving force in many projects, and I’m hoping his son may use his smarts to join his father?”

 

As your brother joined the conversation, the boy at Gozaburo’s side suddenly focused on you. You could feel a blush begin to burn your cheeks as you realized you were caught staring. Shyly, you smiled at him. Slowly, his eyes widened before he turned away to the younger boy at his side. The mass of black hair smiled at his older brother’s pinkening cheeks before sending you a big smile in his place. You smiled back just as you were all brought back into the conversation.

 

“-well my oldest son is quite the genius as well. Seto is a prodigy!”

 

Gozaburo was just shy of gloating about the boy. 

 

= * =

 

You were standing on the edge of the dance floor, watching your brother and sister move through the crowd as they danced at their partner’s request. You were content to watch, your eyes just catching the pearls shining in Helena’s hair when the lights flickered. People slowly came to a pause as they glanced up curiously. Somewhere you heard a familiar voice loudly remark that the lights being tampered with should have been impossible.

 

You followed the voice until you saw the group, Seto and his younger brother staring at another boy your age with long straight hair. He was smiling with mischief as the lights faltered one last time. He spoke, but you didn’t hear his words.

 

= * =

 

There you stood beside your father, clad in a black dress. It was strange attending the funeral of someone you barely knew, but you insisted on coming. 

 

You remembered the young boys you met at the party with the dazzling lights. You saw them a few more times as your father gained a promotion and attended more gatherings. Mokuba would smile at you each time and start chatting away once he felt his father wouldn’t notice. Once, your dad asked Seto what he’d like to do one day after the boy stood through most of a conversation silently. He said he’d like to make amusement parks and let all the underprivileged orphans in free. 

 

After that? Seto just grew quieter and quieter. A silent prop to be dragged about. 

 

But already, they seemed so different at the funeral. Every time you found Seto’s face in the crowd, he looked… Determined. Mokuba’s was hard to read altogether. You kept a silent watch through the day.

 

Finally, you were able to get close to them as the crowd was dispersing. Gently you touched Mokuba’s shoulder. You were still too unnerved by Seto’s demeanor to approach him so directly. The child turned at your touch before quickly wrapping his arms around your middle in a hug.

 

“-wanting to do this for a while…” you thought you heard from the mass of hair at your chest.

 

Seto turned and eyed you as you stood there awkwardly, thrown off by the younger’s sudden show of affection. Slowly you put your arms down and gently patted Mokuba’s back, your eyes locked on blue.

 

“Are you- You… I’m sorry for your loss.” you finally murmured.

 

“It’s ok,” came Mokuba’s reply. Almost a little too quickly at that.

 

Seto simply nodded. Was he too upset for words? 

 

… 

 

Are they actually upset at all?

 

“The passing of our adoptive father is indeed a tragedy,” Seto suddenly spoke. You realized there was a small gathering of people around you, including your family. “But Kaiba corp will continue on, and become even greater than when he owned it.”

 

Mokuba’s arms slid from your waist and you swear you saw a big smile on his face before he fully came into view. He turned and followed his brother to a black car, climbing in before him and giving a quick wave through the door as Seto climbed in next.

 

What just happened?

 

Something poked your arm from your little shoulder bag. You pulled a small card with a number on it, “Call us anytime!” scrawled on it with little childish drawings on it. Was this Mokuba’s doing?

 

= * =

 

You watched your father literally jump around the living room in joy while your mom cried on the couch. Your siblings were still staring in shock from the news. But you? You leaned against the door frame with a big smile on your face. Mokuba had already told you the news about Seto’s decision.

 

Your father rose higher in the ranks ever since the party of dazzling lights. But the lights in his world kept growing much darker. The more he learned about what his company did, and what  Kaiba corp did, the more upset he was becoming. When Seto announced the dismantling of the weapons manufacturing sector, your father took his side in the rising opposition. 

 

And subsequently, he lost his job. A scapegoat ruthlessly sacrificed in place of the unattainable. 

 

As your family stressed about how they were going to survive in Japan and whether they should use their savings to go back stateside and restart, Mokuba called. Seto needed a new construction company to work with and was wondering if your dad would like to lead the charge..

 

You slipped to the kitchen with a grin on your face, gently picking up the cake box and taking it to the front room. You opened it for your father, “Congrats CEO” dancing across in blue icing. The family surrounded you in a big hug.

 

= * =

 

You frowned as you sat with your siblings in the airport. You weren’t happy at  _ all _ with being shipped back to the states by your parents. But with the new company and your mom’s promotion at the hospital, they were worried they wouldn’t be able to keep up with all of your needs. Besides, your sister had a college she wanted to go to in America, and your brother wanted to look more into car mechanics with your uncle. You just wanted to stay in Japan with your friends and parents. 

 

You huffed again, only to be distracted by your phone buzzing.  A text from Mokuba. 

 

“We miss you!”

 

We? The older of the two Kaiba’s wasn’t too talkative. To you at least. When they’d invite your family to their mansion, he’d involve himself with your dad and brother. Derrick seemed to have lots of fun ideas about the kinds of rides to put in his new “Kaiba Land” theme park. Mokuba would just excuse him as being shy, that he liked you a lot. But you weren’t sure what to think. Boys were just so confusing.

 

Your aunt and uncle’s smiling faces appeared in the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings!   
> The date is 5/18/2017 and I'm very slow at trying to work on the latest chapter this month. Life has calmed down and I've finally recovered from being sick since February. I'm making this note here because I've had to do a bit of editing in this chapter to better accommodate some world building I was planning to do, and because I ALWAYS remember the Kaiba's timeline wrong. Shame on me. :/  
> Yes, Reader is around 6 months older than Seto Kaiba, and he should be around 10 at the start of this chapter having spent 2 years with Gozaburo so far. Mokuba is around 3 years behind Seto for my story.  
> I think that's about all the clarification I can provide at the moment. See you guys soon! Hopefully when I finish putting this chapter together from the outline...  
> And thanks again for reading <3


	2. Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It begins

You squealed with laughter as your dance partner suddenly swung you around in a fast spin. He smiled as he gripped your hand, barely able to hide his heavy breathing from the fast pace of the song. You could only giggle between breaths, pushing strands of your ponytail off your flushed face. Breathlessly, you excused yourself from the dance floor, too dazzled by the bright lights to see his disappointed expression.

 

You were back in Japan and your 19th birthday party was in full swing Young people flashed by in bright colors as the music pumped through the speakers. The “old people” hour had passed (your brother’s words) and the younger generation now enjoyed themselves as others sat at the tables. Your parents were sitting not far away, chatting with a small group of people over cake. You didn’t talk too much as you still felt your Japanese was rusty.

 

The springtime air cooled your face and you were glad your sister made your new outfit easy to move around in. Red and fitting up top only to billow out around your knees like a vintage swing dress. The straps holding it up worked “miracles,” keeping everything in place as you whirled around. A wonderful birthday gift indeed!

 

Someone call your name and you turned to see the Kaiba’s approaching, Mokuba more at a run while Seto walked with his hands in his pockets. The still smallish arms gripped around your middle as you stood your ground for the impact. Wrapping him in your arms, you compared the little smiling boy from your memories to the bigger, grinning, teenager gleefully holding you.

 

“Mokuba!! You’ve gotten so tall! Lemme get a good look at you, those pictures must’ve been fibbing!”

 

Mokuba raised his head with a laugh, his forehead slightly red from where it was pressed against your collarbone. Hmm. Maybe you shouldn’t let him hug you so tight like this anymore. Kid wasn’t… Such a  _ kid _ kid anymore.

 

“You’ve gotten tall too!” Mokuba chirped with a grin. “And prettier in person! Didn’t she, big brother?”

 

Seto shifted on his feet, his expression changing to something unreadable as he eyed his brother. But Mokuba just gave a mischievous smirk.

 

“You look great in that dress! Red is a great color on you! Just like that swimsuit from your-”

 

“Simmons!” Seto called suddenly, striding away purposefully to your parent’s table.

 

“-beach trip.” Mokuba finished with a snicker.

 

You watched Seto’s retreating back as Mokuba’s laughter turned to full on cackling. But at your questioning glance, the 13 year old recovered enough to just shrug.

 

Usually you two talked at least once a week over the years, But with all the preparations for moving and the party, you hadn’t talked in almost a month. The two of you stood there catching up for while before your attention was drawn to the stage. The music died down and a light lit the spot where a microphone sat on it’s stand. People clapped generously as your father appeared on the stage, bowing and waving for silence.

 

You watched your father with pride as he thanked everyone for coming out to the party. You were so proud of him and his hard work through the years. His company had expanded from Domino city after taking on the Kaiba’s amusement park as their first big project. They were doing so well and yet still staying modest and humble. You hoped you could stay the same, as you took over the Domino branch of Simmons Construction.

 

Wait.

 

Take over the Domino branch of Simmons Construction?

 

You were brought back from your thoughts as the crowd clapped, all eyes on you. Your father was on stage, having just announced that he’s leaving the Domino branch of his company to you. 

 

_ You _ .

 

A pair of hands pressed against the small of your back, one larger than the other as they pushed you toward the stage. Mokuba’s was at least somewhat familiar, but you were surprised to catch sight of Seto next to you as he joined in on the encouragement. You kept your pace as even as possible through your shock as you approached the stairs. Your father extended a hand to help you up, and you smiled up at him through eyes brimming with tears.

 

Secretly you’d been harboring your growing worry for your future. Your siblings knew what they wanted since they were young. 

 

Your sister had been sewing you into clothes since you could walk. A summer with your uncle and aunt had left your brother’s eyes glowing as he picked up book after book after book on cars and their engines and what made them go. 

 

Even after your mom would spend the evening raving about nursing at the hospital, she’d still end it with a huff before giving the warmest smile. She’d never give it up. But you? 

 

You hadn’t found your place yet. You hadn’t found what filled you with the same warm glow that filled your family. You didn’t know which way to go.

 

But as you held onto your father’s hand, you were filled with warm gratitude at his gesture. He was giving you a path. You glanced out over the audience, catching sight of your family and other familiar smiling spaces. Mokuba was lightly hopping as he waved, Seto silently standing next to him.

 

You gathered yourself and, remembering your etiquette, bowed to your father.

 

“Thank you! Thank you for this opportunity! I’ll make you proud!”

 

= * =

 

You stood in a corner beside a tall plant, making an effort at properly gathering your composure after braving the swath of people who were eager to congratulate you. In your hand were many cards, people who wanted to keep in contact and had business offers and projects that they hoped you’d take. Everything had changed so quickly, the world was spinning and sending you headlong with it.

 

A sound startled you in the empty room and you looked up to the doorway. Seto had wandered in, sighing as he casually glanced around. He hadn’t spotted you yet, the large potted plant partially blocking you. Large windows showed another side of the venue, empty of party goers as it faced a different part of the property. You watched as he approached them, slowly relaxing in the silence. 

 

The plant rustled as you shifted nervously and he turned, picking you out in the darkness. Smiling sheepishly, you stepped from your hiding spot.

 

“Sorry, probably should have said I was here…”

 

He regarded you quietly before turning back to the window.

 

You glanced around before going to stand next to him, looking out at the still darkening sky. The sun had set not long ago, just before you cut your cake. The tent outside had obscured much of the sky with all the lights strung high above. But here, there was nothing but starlight in the room as the moon was just beginning to rise.

 

A small cough caught your attention, Seto digging through his pocket next to you. You watched curiously as he dug out a small box, glittering silver with bright blue ribbons. He seemed to hesitate before thrusting it at you, making you jump.

 

“Happy birthday.”

 

Your shoulders shivered with stifled laughter as you reached for the gift.

 

“Thank you,” the laughter was in your voice as your fingers brushed his. He barely withheld a flinch and you wondered, was that a blush darkening his face?

 

Gently you pulled the ribbon apart, opening the box to reveal an oval silver pendant with shooting stars etched in it. The silver chain glittered despite the low light as you lifted it out.

 

“Thank you,” you breathed. Were those small diamonds embedded in the stars?

 

“Mokuba said you’d like something like this…” Seto reached for the chain, unhooking it and holding it expectantly. You stared at it a moment longer before turning and lifting your hair out the way. The warmth of his body radiated outward as his arms briefly encircled you, giving you a waft of his cologne.

 

“I’m glad he was right,” he murmured close to your ear. You couldn’t help but shiver, distracted now by his fingers brushing against your neck as he fumbled with the clasp.

 

You let go of your hair as the necklace settled, the pendant nestling itself on your bosom. Looking back into his eyes, you faltered at his expression. And closeness. Your fingers found the pendant as it rested cool against your skin.

 

“Thank you…” You whispered again as his eyes followed your hand to stare at the pendant.

 

You took a moment to really look at him. He’d grown much taller than you expected. When you were children you were about the same height. You were always tall for a girl but you only came to his chin now. His hair had gotten longer. His shoulders broader. He filled out his suit nicely… Your eyes flicked up to catch his, wondering if he was considering you the same way. He seemed to be lost in thought, his hands still raised from helping you with your gift. But now, he was reaching over, resting them on your shoulders. You felt your head unconsciously tilt a bit in question, not paying attention to how you were slowly starting to lean with anticipation.

 

“-other where’d yoooooo- aggh oh OOF! Frick!-”

 

Mokuba’s voice drifted away as he nearly tripped over himself to clear the doorway. But it was enough to break the spell. Seto’s hands pulled back and you bit back your disappointment. His face was  _ definitely _ red.

 

“Thanks for inviting Mokuba to your birthday party,” Seto said gruffly as he turned toward the doorway.

 

“You were invited too you know,” you said to his retreating back.

 

“-And congratulations on your new job,” He continued as if he never heard you.

 

He disappeared through the doorway.

 

= * =

 

You sat on your bed, scrolling through the confusing texts Mokuba sent. 

 

Apologies galore for interrupting you and Seto. 

 

Mentions of how his brother had disappeared after Mokuba was able to draw off a lot of businessmen who realized who they were and tried their best to network. 

 

Cheers for you loving your gift. And lots of wishing he was there to see your face. 

 

Which led back to apologies for interrupting.

 

What did he think you and Seto were doing? 

 

You were just friends. Sort of. You actually weren’t sure if he considered you a friend like Mokuba does. He barely showed you too much one on one attention, and even though he was often in the background of Mokuba’s video chats he rarely spared a glance.

 

Mokuba made sure to keep you up to date on all of their adventures. From meeting the upstart duelist Yugi Mutoh, to Duelist Kingdom (though much of his memory was fuzzy still). He told you all about battle city.The parts that included all the various dangers he was in usually ended with him having you calm you down. You couldn’t stand the idea of someone trying to harm a child as sweet as Mokuba. It often left you with the feeling of wanting to strangle the culprit(s).

 

To stay calm, you usually focused on the stories that hinted at the growing friendships with a group of equally adventurous schoolmates of Seto. They seemed to have gone through so much together. It made you feel sad that you weren’t there with them. Even though all the magic talk and reincarnation stuff firmly mixed throughout just made you really confused. But you did your best to listen and understand.

 

Compared to them, you felt pitifully plain. All you had at the time was school and your part time jobs. Sure you helped with your sister’s fashion work, and your brother’s growing portfolio of projects that did all manner of things. But… You didn’t have much of anything “exciting.”

 

Until now at least.

 

You sighed and flopped back into your bed, trying hard to ignore the forgotten box that bit into your neck. Soon you’ll be in your own little apartment, so you didn’t bother to unpack much. Your parents were moving out themselves by the end of the week. You’d be living all on your own in Domino city.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I can post so far haha. Got errands to run early, it's like 2am why did I choose this life???


	3. Moving

Frazzled, you made your way to your new front door. Your second day on the job was full of meetings after meetings throughout the day. You thought you’d never see the sun again but there it was, gently resting low in the sky. You probably had a couple hours of sunlight left, enough to get the current job job before it got too late. Downstairs, the moving crew were gathering your things; they’d been kind enough to wait for the extra hour it took you to finish your last (overdrawn) meeting and scurry over.

 

With a sigh, you leaned your head against the door before turning the key. It was your first quiet moment since your morning tea at breakfast and you were too eager to savor it. The door was warm against your forehead, probably because of the sunlight from the west.

 

A hand touched your shoulder and you whipped around, snatching the key out by the strap around your wrist before it snapped off completely to skid down the balcony hallway. Your hands were up as if in a fighting stance as you looked up into Seto Kaiba’s surprised face. His hand was held away from you like he touched a stove. You heard Mokuba move as he dove for the fallen key that tried to skitter off the balcony’s edge.

 

“Got it!” he called as he nabbed it from the edge. He turned to smile up at you, “Gee, what kept you so long?”

 

“Meetings.” Your shoulders slumped as all the tension fled from your body. “And talking. And papers. And paper _ cuts _ . And more  _ meetings _ . And a  _ lunch _ meeting. I just… Didn’t expect to be cooped up in the office allll day.”

 

You leaned against the door as you relived all of the talking where you thought your ears were going to explode if your tongue didn’t fall off first. Seto turned over his shoulder at the approaching footsteps of the moving men. They had finally reached the third floor with the first of your things. Your head thudded lightly against the locked door as you prepared yourself to get started.

 

Instead, you fell through the surprisingly  _ unlocked _ door.

 

When you gathered your wits, you looked back at the boys who were staring down at you with red faces. Kaiba’s hand was extended as if he had reached for you too late. Mokuba just stood frozen where he was, keys in hand as he stared down nervously.

 

“W-what?” You asked as you stared at their reddening faces.

 

“Purple.” was Mokuba’s simple reply.

 

But you didn’t have any purple on? A light yellow dress, white business jacket, white shoes. The only thing really purple were-

 

You scrambled to your feet, nearly tripping on the raised level as you neared the edge of the foyer. This time Seto did catch your arm as you finally regained your balance. You both glanced everywhere but each other’s faces.

 

“Miss?”

 

Two of the moving men stood in the door with boxes.

 

“Yes! Over here please!”

 

= * =

 

The Kaiba’s left on Mokuba’s offer to grab you dinner. You were grateful for the gesture as well as the space. You still got goosebumps at the way Seto had stared down at you.

 

The moving crew was very quick, placing all your furniture and things in your spacious apartment. No doubt small by American standards, but you had room for a nice couch if you choose to get one and your tv nestled happily in the corner. A space for a table you had yet to buy beside the little nook that looked into the kitchen; which felt a little narrow after spending so much time in your aunt’s generous kitchen, but you could make do. The bedroom was big enough to stuff your full sized bed under the window, a desk to sit underneath a long wall shelf. A large closet took up the wall by the door and on the other side of it was the bathroom, the entrance almost parallel with the kitchen entrance. 

 

All in all your father picked a nice place.

 

After all your stuff was out of the moving van you were finally left alone. The silence was unfamiliar as you stood on the edge of your living room, lacking the usual controlled chaos of a large home filled with delicious smells and the voices of your siblings and cousins. Your home felt more like the quiet roar of a cliff you couldn’t see, raising your foot for your next step…

 

A knock at the door brought you back.

 

The Kaibas had returned, Mokuba cheering as he held up to-go plates that wafted something delicious smelling. Seto closed the door behind him as the Mokuba followed you further in, setting the food down on the kitchen counter as you scurried from box to box marked “kitchen” looking for utensils, dishes, ANYTHING. This was the part you  _ hated _ about moving.

 

“It’s ok,” Mokuba laughed. “We got it all in separate plates and we brought utensils to eat with so you won’t have to dig yours out.

 

You gave him a dry look as you huffed. There were packing peanuts in your hair. But his adorable grin still hinted at mischief.

 

You didn’t have much to offer seating-wise. Just your desk chair and a fluffy beanbag chair.

 

“I was planning on buying proper furniture after I moved in…”

 

Mokuba just shrugged and plopped down on the floor to eat. Seto quietly handed you your plate, eyes mostly averted, before following suit. You watched the two  _ rich _ boys sit on your bare floor with their (semi-expensive) take out like it was nothing before joining them. Opening your plate, the smell that hit your nose made you forget about everything else. 

 

Your  _ favorite _ ! 

 

You missed Mokuba’s pleased grin as you eagerly dug in, completely oblivious to his outright snickering at Seto’s face when you made a  _ sinful _ noise over the flavor coating your tongue. Nothing else mattered as you gave a little wiggle of joy and took another bite to gleefully savor. This was your soulmate. Your forever love.

 

“God it’s been so long since I’ve had this!”

 

“I’ll say,” Mokuba snarked. Seto’s face looked strained as he seemed to be thinking of awful things.

 

“There’s just… Hmmmmmmm~  _ Nothing like this _ in America… I can’t believe you reme-  _ oh my god _ there’s even…”

 

Mokuba was biting his lips to keep from laughing too hard.

 

You paused halfway through with a sigh, finally focusing on the two boys that you forgot were even in the room. A glance at the older brother startled you at the increased surliness that enveloped Seto.

 

“Are… You ok?”

 

Mokuba caught your attention by waving his hand in front of his tear streaked face. “They overcooked his beef.”

 

An eyebrow raised in disbelief but the boy plowed on through his excuse.

 

“This is really spicy,” he wheezed through tears and a couple coughs. “So are you coming to Seto’s graduation?”

 

“Oh! That’s right. I forget how different the school systems can get…” 

 

Due to the back and forth of Japan and America, you graduated ‘early.’

 

“Yeah. Well he’s graduating next week!”

 

You glanced over at Seto again to see his face slowly relaxing. “If you’d like me to come, I would…” you began.

 

He seemed to gather himself then, regaining his calm demeanor before looking up at you solemnly.

 

“I’d like for you to attend my graduation.” It came out so formally.

 

You let a big smile spread over your face.

 

= * =

 

You found the graduation ceremony to have been very pleasant. 

 

Standing off from all the families, you watched as they congratulated their loved ones. It was a touching sight that made you think back to your own family gathered around you, even your parents. You mused quietly as your eyes were drawn to a large hairdo of black and violet and blonde.  _ What on earth? _

 

Mokuba appeared next to you as you tried to puzzle out the logistical physics of the mildly familiar boy. He watched your puzzled face for a moment before tracing it over to Yugi and his grandfather. A smile spread across his broadening face as a tall blonde and brunette made their way over to the two.

 

“That’s Yugi Mutouh and his grandfather.” Mokuba informed you as you tried to look away from all the colors. “The duelist I’ve been telling you about for years?”

 

“Somehow I imagined him taller,” you murmured. Perhaps it was the hair?

 

“Mokuba!”

 

A girl with big blue eyes and brown hair changed her path from the growing group and headed for you two instead. The others all immediately picked up and began moving towards you instead.  You watched them all, trying to piece together who was who from the stories and the few rare pictures that Mokuba would mysteriously get. You thought you saw someone with white hair off in the crowd behind them, but they disappeared as soon as your eyes moved to focus.

 

“Mokuba!” 

 

“Hey Mokuba!” 

 

“My, you look taller.” 

 

“Sup? Who’s the chick?”

 

Focusing back on the group, you smiled at the warmness in their greetings. Mokuba already told you how “rocky” things tend to be with them. But with Mokuba they were totally at ease. It was hard not to smile around the charismatic youngster. With a polite nod, you stayed quiet as Mokuba told them your name.

 

“She’s an old friend of ours that just got back from America. She runs Domino’s branch of Simmons Construction. They built the first Kaiba Land for us.”

 

You felt a blush creep to your face as they all gave you incredulous looks. Even the old man? Was it that shocking? Seto had been running his company all this time. Sure you were “young” to be the Head. Fresh out of high school yourself, not even college yet. But they shouldn’t find it all THAT shocking!

 

“Friend, like... Kaiba’s too?”

 

“Kaiba has a friend?”

 

Oh.

 

_ That’s _ what they were shocked about.

 

A large hand slid around to rest on your shoulder. You stiffened, your cheeks burning even more now as Seto stood close to you. You prayed it wasn’t noticeable.

 

“Yes. I  _ do _ have a friend.” Seto sniffed as the group held their various expressions of shock and doubt. “Very good friends, in fact. Known each other since we were young. Is it that difficult to believe?”

 

You stole a glance at the slow smirk spreading across his face. You weren’t really sure how to react.

 

“Maybe she’ll even be my sister-in-law one day.” came Mokuba’s contribution, dripping with mock-innocence.

 

You swear the new wave of blushing started from your  _ toes _ ! Seto’s own body stiffened next to yours, heat radiating from him as his own face burned. You were torn between ducking away from Seto’s arm and hiding altogether. Instead, you steadied as his grip tightened on your shoulder. Voices floated to your ringing ears.

 

The group was  _ laughing _ .

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now for the hard part. Editing the next chapter into something proper and make sure the random... smut... Makes sense lol  
> How did smut get here so soon?  
> :3c


	4. Furniture

You were sitting at your desk, going through paperwork when your secretary’s frantic voice burst through the door.

 

“-can’t just walk in like this, you need an appoin-!!”

 

You looked up as Seto Kaiba closed the door behind him.

 

Alarmed, you stood up, the squeak of your chair masking a quiet ‘click.’ You had your mouth open to ask, feet getting three feet from the desk before you promptly shut it at his expression. He was striding forward with purpose. You couldn’t help backing up as he didn’t stop his advancement, your butt hitting the desk as he pressed close against you. His eyes were on fire.

 

“I can’t take it anymore,” he breathed out against your lips just before catching them in a scathing hot kiss.

 

Your knees went weak at his groan from the contact, his body pressing fully against you. Hands running down your arms, grasping your wrists to set your hands on the desk behind you. His legs shifted to part yours, giving him more access to suddenly grind against you. All you could do was gasp, reeling from the way he devoured your mouth with hot open kisses.

 

His hands quickly released your wrists to grab at your hips, rolling his own against you and making you groan. You felt the light nip on your bottom lip before he pushed his tongue into your mouth, everything coming into sharp focus for a moment as he found yours and stroked against it, pleading for you to act. You pressed back against his tongue gently at first, body burning as he moaned openly into your mouth with satisfaction. Your hands shot up and gripped his shoulders as you pressed closer to engage him fully.

 

Seto pressed you back against the desk, swallowing your sounds as he ground into your core even more. Eyes and lower regions sent a-flutter, your head tilted against the desk, the sensation almost overwhelming your urge to stay at least somewhat quiet. Another sound was strangled in your throat as he pressed into you again, the cool wood of the desk warming up under your back. His hands crept down from your hips, hiking up your skirt to expose you more, fingers lingering at the lace of your thigh highs as he bucked against you.

 

Lightheaded, you gasped for more air as he rolled against the thin lace that was all that blocked him from your damp skin. His lips turned to kissing down your jaw, licking and sucking at the open flesh of your throat, sending your pulse racing as you felt ready to catch fire. His moan vibrated against your skin as he dragged himself against you sinfully slow.

 

Suddenly, Seto lifted off you. Before you could think to question the loss of heat, he snatched at your blouse and you watched the buttons fly as the lace of your bra was exposed to him. Hungrily he dove back down, sighing your name as he began nipping and licking at the bare skin of your breasts. You thought you felt him grin at your whimpers when he dragged his tongue around the bare edges of your bra.

 

Seto pulled another whine from you as he quickly nipped at your nipple through the fabric of your bra. And again as your body squirmed underneath him. And again as you breathily gasped his name. You curled around him, legs locking tight around his waist and hands coming up to thread your fingers along his scalp. He hummed as he rolled the hardening bud under his tongue.

 

You didn’t feel his hand until after it had slipped between your bodies, fingers lazily tracing the growing dampness of your panties, slowly prodding and pressing until he found what he was looking for. He pulled your nipple between his lips, fabric and all, just as he roughly stroked your clit through the wet fabric.

 

Your head hit the desk hard enough that you swore you saw stars. Or maybe you just swore.

 

You didn’t see his face right away. Pressed against your breast with the darkness of lust clouding his eyes, his fingers only grew bolder. He watched as you writhed underneath his body as he pressed you into the desk, hissing as he stroked and circled and pinched you. A smile grew across his face, utterly lecherous as you whined his name again. Seto’s teeth grazed your skin as he found the edge of your bra, forcing the cup back. Greedily, he sucked your nipple into his mouth.

 

And you no longer cared about being heard.

 

“Set… Seto, p-please!”

 

You whimpered and squirmed and moaned out loud as he wound you tighter and tighter. His eyes never left your face, the blue orbs were the only stable thing in a world that was quickly spiraling to a point. Your breath caught in your throat and your body strained on the brink. But he didn’t let you teeter long. Furtive nipping and the insistent rolling of his fingers against you brought you gasping and keening back to him, every syllable on your tongue rolling off like honey.

 

Your eyes snapped open in the dim light of your bedroom.

 

Slowly you sat up, taking inventory of the sweat that coated your body and dampened your sheets. But that paled in comparison to what you felt rolling down your legs even now. You were trembling in the warm air, your skin flushed with heat.

 

“Oh. My.  _ God _ .”

 

= * =

 

You spent a long time in your shower.

 

A  _ really _ long time.

 

You weren’t sure how long it was you just know you felt like you were  _ washing _ forever.

 

Standing in your kitchen, you kept trying to shake the dream from your mind. You were still holding the empty mug you were going to put your morning tea in. But you just kept wandering in circles instead. Just what the hell?

 

Your head tried to fill itself with other ‘important’ things. The meetings that integrated you into the system and methods. The days you spent signing all manners of papers for projects and supplies and budgets and people. It all came back to the feeling of your desk pressing into your back, with a warm body above you.

 

You feet carried you on autopilot to your door as you didn’t consciously register the doorbell. But opening it only put you face to face with your dream lover. Or, face to surprisingly defined collar bones. Above a toned chest that should  _ not _ look airbrushed through the freaking fabric!

 

With a squeak you slammed the door in the Kaiba brothers’ faces. You could hear Mokuba’s muffled voice call your name through the door.

 

“You ok? Did you forget we were furniture shopping today?”

 

You tried to gather your frazzled thoughts as one of them gave another tentative knock. Plastering a smile across your cheeks, you whipped open the door. It didn’t work but you plowed through it anyway.

 

“No I didn’t forget just late night haha that’s all come on in I was about to have my morning tea yeah…”

 

The boys exchanged looks as you awkwardly turned away before following into your still box-strewn home.

 

Seto sat at the table you managed to procure in those first couple weeks, while Mokuba leaned at the nook. You focused on rattling through the cupboards, trying to remember where you put everything. Mokuba’s concerned expression was thoroughly ignored at every chance.

 

“Are you sick? Because we can do this another day…”

 

You glanced back at Mokuba, stomach fluttering lightly as you caught sight of Seto behind him.

 

“No!” came your way too high pitched reply. You  _ needed _ to get a  _ grip _ ! “I’m not sick! Totally fine!”

 

Mokuba looked unconvinced as the dishes rattled in your trembling hands. You couldn’t admit to yourself how badly that dream got to you. You just couldn’t. You were tired that’s all. It was nothing. You didn’t dare think about how real it all felt. His body. His mouth. His hands.

 

You could feel your whole body going red.

 

“I think she’s sick…” you heard Mokuba mutter.

 

A soft scrape preceded the even footsteps that came closer as he rounded the doorway to the kitchen. You felt his body heat before you saw him, refusing to turn toward him in fear of what his eyes would hold. But his hand gently touched the small of your back, the other coming up to your face as he gently turned you to face him properly. Seto muttered something as you tried to squirm away with a squeak but that firm hand on your back kept you close. 

 

You closed your eyes as his hand pressed against your warm forehead, still not trusting yourself to look up at him. After a moment, he moved it down to your throat, just under your chin. You finally decided to peek at him with one eye, seeing his focused expression as he watched you closely. Your pulse quickened despite your effort to keep calm, your whole body instantly flushing with heat again as you caught of whiff of his cologne.

 

Seto made a short humming noise, one like he made a  _ conclusion _ you chided yourself, before he pressed at your back again. You tried not to,  _ externally _ , panic as you drew closer to him in the narrow space of your kitchen. But he stepped aside and continued to prod you forward. Just when you sighed that he wasn’t going to embrace you, another internal wave of panic hit you as you were aimed to your bedroom doorway.

 

“I’ve got the tea!” Mokuba called as the two of you disappeared into your dim room. You tried to answer, but it was just another squeak.

 

Seto guided you pass your desk, stopping as you reached your bed. He reached to pull the sheets back fully as you tried to convince him you really weren’t sick. Instead, you stopped at his face, curiously following his gaze back to your bed. 

 

Oh. 

 

_ You hadn’t changed your damp sheets yet. _

 

“You must have had a bad fever last night,” came his low comment. You couldn’t think of anything to say. “You should probably take a little more time off. Don’t let them work you to death.”

 

This from the  _ kettle _ calling the pot black.

 

Seto turned to your closet, walking over to unceremoniously pull it open as he searched for fresh bed sheets. You scrambled to turn him away from more sensitive sections and reached instead toward the top where the sheets and comforter were piled. He pressed a light hand to your shoulder as he pulled them free, the comforter slipping down and flopping onto your head as you tried to catch it. He moved to take it but you held it in place, scurrying back to your bed with your new face shield. Did you hear a  _ chuckle _ ?

 

Leaning over to take your bed apart, you felt your hands being shooed away as Seto did it for you. You didn’t want him touching your ( _ night emission!!! _ ) dampened sheets, but he just wasn’t having it. Instead, you felt the extra weight of the fresh sheets as he plopped them on top of the comforter on your head. You sighed and waited as he made quick work of your bed, stripping the sheets back and flipping them into a sort of ball on the floor. Once the comforter disappeared you stared downwards, still not trusting yourself to make eye contact with him.

 

“Lay down,” he ordered, his even tone sending another shiver down your still tingling spine.

 

“I’m not sick though!” You protested even as you flushed red all over again at the way his eyebrow quirked upwards.  _ God _ you weren’t used to so much direct contact with him.

 

His hand reached over oh so elegantly, pressing the fingers against the skin just under your clavicle. You stared down, noting if he rested the palm of his hand down it would be against the tops of your breasts. A simple push sent you flopping back onto the bed, bright red in the face because you just  _ could not get a grip! _ You managed to hold back any sound you might have made, all too aware of the dominating memory of being pressed into the desk filling your head.

 

Seto reached for the edge of the sheets, and you remembered why the two came over in the first place. “But what about the furni- mmph!”

 

Seto pressed his hand against your lips to silence you. And you tried  _ extra _ hard not to think about how his fingers felt pressed against your lips. You did. You really tried.

 

Was it possible for anyone to blush so much in such a short amount of time?

 

“You need to rest,” Seto intoned as he pressed you back into your pillows. 

 

You couldn’t drag your eyes away from his face even if the house caught on fire. His hand came away from your lips as he picked up your legs that still dangled over the side. Tucking you in, he caught sight of you biting your lip in guilt and gave you another look. Was it scolding for getting “sick”? Or…

 

Mokuba finally appeared in the doorway with the cups of tea, one for you and one for him. Seto nodded to him before heading toward the kitchen to grab his cup. Mokuba sat yours on the little bedside table, kneeling down so he could look you in the eye. A slow grin spread on his face. 

 

You huffed before drawing the covers back over your head, Mokuba’s quiet laugh echoing through the comforter as you heard your desk chair moving.

 

= * =

 

The Kaiba’s spent a long time just relaxing in your apartment.

 

Mokuba chatting away as he told you about all the new things that had happened while you were busy the last couple weeks. Seto sitting in your desk chair, his finger tapping away at his phone, while his other hand periodically brought the teacup to his lips.

 

It was strangely relaxing.

 

As you found yourself reluctantly growing drowsy, the doorbell rang. But before you could do more than push the covers back, Seto was already on his feet. You and Mokuba listened curiously as he walked to your door and invited in whoever was waiting outside. Large shadows passed over your doorway as something big came down the hallway.

 

Slipping out of bed, you and Mokuba crept to the door. A lovely couch with plush cushions was being lowered onto the floor. A small coffee table followed as you watched with a slack jaw. End tables. A cute little fake potted plant. A proper entertainment stand for your tv and game console. A low bookshelf under the window next to the balcony door. Even a rug in your favorite color.

 

A shadow fell over you as you stared at all the new items filling your once empty living room. Seto’s narrowed eyes met your awestruck expression.

 

A single finger flicked out.

 

“Wow Bro!” Mokuba called as you slunk back to your bed. You weren’t willing to argue anymore, too overwhelmed by shock and gratefulness.  _ Everything _ was in your favorite colors. And matched!

 

“I figured this would be easier,” Seto said as he watched you pull back your sheets, “I just went through the stuff she sent in the email that she wanted to look at.”

 

You curled under your warm sheets, with a smile your lips. You didn’t see the teasing grin Mokuba gave to his brother, or the way Seto became very focused on your ceiling as even his ears turned red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I wasn't going to get to this yet. BUT. I saw screen caps of that new Yugioh movie and... Kaiba. Bby. Your s h i r t. That is a sin, Seto needs to be in timeout sweet Jesus...  
> I gotta find! My notes? Unless I packed that notebook up in storage. But I'll eventually remember what the next chapter was to be...

**Author's Note:**

> SUP Y'ALL  
> So let's be real, I've been beating myself up over whether or not to post this hot indulgent mess. I just realized I don't have a real title holy crap. I literally started this Dec 1st back in 2015 but... Drama. Like I really wanna gloss over it but it's hurts my heart to think of that shiz. Bottom line, my mom had a stroke 2 weeks before she became a widow and my new husband and I live with her now that my dad is gone. (Plus his birthday is 7/7 god please bless me with distractions)  
> So that's why I haven't gotten any farther than 2.5 chapters and why I gave up trying to find someone to read over before posting. @~@ So I'm just throwing these out as is, cause I'm working on an ORIGINAL book right now on my patreon. Cause you know, escape from reality... So once I "edit" the rest and post, that may be it for a while (until I can find my notes again).  
> Thanks for reading, bless you.


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